Heart & Hands Wine Company, Pinot Noir 2012, Patrician Verona Vineyard, Finger Lakes, New York

Tasting Note: An elegant, low-alcohol, cool-climate pinot noir that would be a welcome guest at many a dinner table (especially when you don’t know what the host is serving in advance).

Ruby in color this pinot noir has an aromatic nose of red cherry, red plum, and strawberry with ginger and cinnamon baking spice.

On the palate the light-bodied red has a smooth, silky texture that presents its just-ripened red fruit character on the attack followed by some subtle, mid-to-back-palate tartness showing just before a medium finish that concentrates the fruit ever-so-slightly.

Velvety tannin and fruit yield a wine that is in perfect balance aptly displaying its food-pairing versatility.

Bottle Note: Patrician Verona Vineyard is located on the west side of Cayuga Lake. The vineyard is managed utilizing sustainable viticulture methods, and has received a National Conservation Stewardship Award for the past and present conservation practices. Patrician Verona slopes gently eastward toward Cayuga Lake. The vineyard is oriented with a North to South row layout, allowing the vines to intercept an optimal amount of sunlight into the canopy. The resulting pinot noir consistently features a mix of clove & forest floor aromatics, a hearty currant driven core, and a long, pure finish.

Statistics – Yield: 3.8 tons/acre. Total Acidity: 6.6 g/l. Harvested: 9/7/12. pH: 3.62. 100% whole cluster. Unfined and unfiltered. Francios Freres French Oak (24% new). Bottling Date: 9/12/13. Cases produced: 98. Heart & Hands Wine Company overlooks the northeastern shores of Cayuga Lake. We are committed to quality, and utilize gentle gravity flow methods of production to preserve the essence of the fruit. We are delighted to share the full expression of the vineyard with you. -Tom & Susan Higgins, Owners/Winemaking Team.